Smarty's Nursery

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Parents and children arrive, chatting about what they will be doing during their day in nursery. Staff provide warm greetings to children. They support each child to say goodbye to their parent as they enter the nursery. Staff encourage parents to share information about their children's care. Relationships between staff and parents are also warm and supportive.

Staff offer children a wide range of experiences and play activities. For example, children come together for group time. Staff sing some songs and support children to discuss the days of the week and the weather. Children who require additional support or children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) take part in planned groups to develop their attention and listening skills. Before free play, children recall the 'golden rules' for their behaviour. They happily share what 'kind hands' mean and how it is good to be nice to everyone. Children take turns and share with minimal support from staff, as they understand their turn will come.

Staff provide children with time each day in the garden and children move purposefully between indoors and outside. Staff know the activities which children are interested in. For example, they encourage children to fill the watering cans to give the fruit and vegetables a drink. Children discuss how plants also need sunshine to grow and discuss how the plants have changed since the seeds were planted. Staff remind children that when the fruit and vegetables are ready, they will be used for snacks and meals by the cook.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• Staff support children's independence effectively. Children follow routines, hanging up their coats and bags and placing water bottles where they can be easily reached. Children take part in being daily allocated helpers to prepare for snack time by peeling and, under staff's supervision, using knives to cut fruit. Children line up and follow hygiene practices to wash their hands in preparation for eating, knowing that removing 'bacteria' will help them to stay 'healthy'.
• Staff successfully promote children's emotional well-being. During story time, children repeat familiar phrases and predict what is going to happen next. They develop their emotional intelligence, such as by discussing how the lead character is feeling. Children offer 'scared' and 'lonely' when he got lost and how 'happy' and 'relieved' he felt on being reunited with his friends. Children extend the discussion by including personal experiences and share the adults that they can speak to if they were feeling sad.
• Staff and leaders have high expectations for every child. They place a focus on children's communication. For example, children are supported to use their voice by voting for activities they would like to have in nursery. Staff also ask questions to extend children's concentration. However, on occasions, some staff use questions that test children's knowledge, rather than to extend children's conversations and communication skills further.
• Children with SEND are excellently supported. Staff have developed an area to provide children with early intervention. They work in partnership with parents, colleagues from health and local authority staff. Staff introduce picture timetables, now-and-next boards and simple spoken words and phrases to develop children's understanding of daily routines. With this individual support, children quickly make progress from their starting points in development.
• The newly established staff team works well together. Staff communicate respectfully and share roles and responsibilities as a team. Leaders have introduced effective systems of supervision and training to support staff. Staff access training based on their needs and interests. This has enabled the team to work effectively to further positive outcomes for children and their families.
• Parents praise staff. They say how the changes in staffing have had a positive impact and enhanced the nursery. The new manager has increased communication, using daily information boards, regular newsletters and a group app to keep parents informed of upcoming activities. Parents enjoy being able to attend events such as sports day and participate in a picnic lunch in the nursery. Parents share that when they do not have extended family close by, the nursery creates a sense of belonging and shared community. They comment that this helps them to make friendships with other parents which extend outside of the setting.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• support children's communication skills further, such as by asking questions which initiate discussions and extend back-and-forth conversations with children.